There’s a certain logic to Oklahoma State’s non-conference slate this season, but Eric Morris isn’t losing any sleep over the order.
The Cowboys opened by going on the road to Tulsa, a Group of 6 opponent, and came away with a loss. Then they flipped the script in a big way, knocking off Oregon last week.
On Saturday, they’ll face Murray State, an FCS team the program has never played before. The Racers are 1-2 and haven’t beaten an FBS team since 1984.
That sequence stands out because it’s not the way a lot of Big 12 teams approached September. Some opened with what looked like the softest matchup on the board.
Oklahoma State didn’t. The Cowboys started with two teams they had lost to a year ago and split those games 1-1.
They also reversed the order from last season, when Tulsa came after the Oregon game in Week 2.
Asked Tuesday about how he thinks about scheduling, Morris made it clear he doesn’t have some rigid blueprint. He inherited a non-conference setup that’s already contracted for several years, and while there’s a chance the order of those games could shift - especially with Week Zero becoming Week 1 in 2027 - he doesn’t view that as a major issue.
The staff did ask for his input, but Morris didn’t sound attached to any particular arrangement.
“I don’t think it really matters.”
He explained it even more plainly from there.
“If I don’t have the team ready to play, then we’re going to be in trouble, so I don’t put a lot of thought into when I want to play them,” he said.
Oklahoma State doesn’t have much freedom inside its nine-game Big 12 schedule, but it does control its three non-conference dates. The league requires every team to schedule at least one power conference opponent, and the Cowboys already have plenty of future matchups lined up, according to FBSchedules.com.
Arkansas is on the calendar in 2027, followed by a home-and-home with Michigan State in 2028 and 2029. OSU also has home-and-home series with Arkansas in 2032 and 2033 and Nebraska in 2034 and 2035.
Tulsa remains on the schedule every year through 2031. FCS home games are also set with Western Illinois in 2027, Southeastern Louisiana in 2028 and Lindenwood in 2029.
Next season’s slate is currently listed as Western Illinois on Sept. 4, at Arkansas on Sept. 11 and Tulsa at home on Sept. 18. That order could still change, but Morris doesn’t sound particularly concerned if it does.
There’s a simple reason for that, too: college football rosters don’t stay still anymore. The transfer portal has changed the way teams look from one year to the next, and Morris said that makes long-range scheduling feel a lot less predictable.
“I just don't think you know now with the transfer portal from year to year - what these teams are going to be like?” Morris said.
“In the you could schedule far out and be able to set it up kind of how you want it. That's just not the case anymore.
Every year's so much different.”
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Fans Just Got Another Reason To Enjoy Oregons Week
Oregon spent Saturday turning its matchup with Portland State into a runaway, piling up points in a way that will be remembered around the program for a long time. The Ducks offense was rolling from the start, and the quarterback work from Dante Moore and Dylan Raiola helped fuel a performance that produced more than 400 passing yards and seven touchdowns between them.
The larger scoreline also brought a different kind of attention, though, as social media lit up with criticism of Dan Lanning for keeping the gas pedal down late. For Oklahoma State fans tracking a national landscape that can always come back around to them, it was one more chance to watch a prominent opponent take a public beating and then deal with the fallout that follows a lopsided result. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Got What It Needed Before Big 12 Play Begins
Before Big 12 play begins, Oklahoma State can at least point to one part of its game that looked ready. The head coach came away encouraged by the defense and by the way the Cowboys executed in the first half, even if the offense got a little sloppy late. He also singled out newcomers William Mason and Markeith Williams for the roles they played, a useful sign for a team still sorting out pieces before the league slate starts to matter.
Justin Bowick added another layer to the conversation by talking about the preparation that went into working with quarterback Drew Mestemaker, along with the satisfaction of his recent 100-yard game. For a receiver trying to settle in and a team trying to tighten things up before conference play, those are the kinds of developments that matter even when the final product still feels like a work in progress. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Just Delivered The Complete Performance Fans Have Wanted
For one afternoon at Boone Pickens Stadium, everything clicked for Oklahoma State in a way fans have been waiting to see. The Cowboys rolled past Murray State 59-0 behind an offense that was sharp from the start, finishing 26 of 28 through the air and piling up 33 first downs while special teams added to the avalanche with a blocked field goal and a 55-yard punt return.
The scoreboard said blowout, but the bigger message was how cleanly the performance came together across all three phases. Drew Mestemaker was efficient enough to steer the offense without wasted snaps, and the defense made sure the game never tilted back the other way, turning in a dominant day that carried the kind of shutout feel Oklahoma State has not had in a while. [Read more 🡒]